Assignment 8: Cybersecurity for a National Healthcare Information Exchange

You are a cybersecurity consultant tasked with enhancing the cybersecurity of a national healthcare information exchange (HIE) that facilitates the secure sharing of patient health records among healthcare providers. The organization is concerned about protecting sensitive patient data from cyber threats and ensuring the integrity of healthcare information. Your task is to design and implement cybersecurity measures to safeguard the national healthcare information exchange.1. Healthcare Data Encryption and Privacy: Assess the current encryption practices for healthcare data exchanged through the national HIE. Propose encryption standards and secure communication protocols to protect patient privacy and confidentiality. Discuss compliance with healthcare data protection regulations, such as HIPAA.2. Secure Authentication for Healthcare Professionals: Evaluate the authentication methods used for healthcare professionals accessing the HIE. Recommend secure authentication measures, including multi-factor authentication, strong password policies, and secure login procedures. Discuss the importance of protecting healthcare professional accounts from unauthorized access.3. Access Controls and Role-Based Permissions: Propose access control measures and role-basedpermissions to regulate access to patient health records within the HIE. Discuss the importance of limiting access to sensitive healthcare information based on the roles and responsibilities of healthcare professionals.4. Incident Response Plan for Healthcare Cybersecurity Incidents: Develop an incident response plan specific to cyber threats affecting the national healthcare information exchange. Outline procedures for detecting and responding to cybersecurity incidents, including data breaches and unauthorized access. Discuss communication protocols with healthcare providers, regulatory bodies, and affected individuals.5. Continuous Monitoring and Auditing for HIE Security: Propose a strategy for continuous monitoring and auditing of the national HIE to detect anomalous activities. Discuss the use of intrusion detection systems, log analysis tools, and regular security audits to identify and respond to potential security incidents.Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are: Compare and contrast the methods of disaster recovery and business continuity. Explain risk management in the context of information security.  Use technology and information resources to research issues in disaster recovery. Write clearly and concisely about disaster recovery topics using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.